Through the Years
by Rubikcube124
Summary: Ever wonder how Phoenix and Iris met? How they got back together? It is my hope that this story will reveal that all to you. I hope you all enjoy "Through the Years". Phoenix/Iris
1. Chapter 1

I hope that this will live up to peoples expectations. This is my first fanfiction and I don't really read much romance, but I have a whole story about these two that I just had to put onto paper. You will find that the story begins with their college years and ends after Apollo Justice. I have to say that I don't have that many great stories about them in college, so if you don't like those days, please don't judge the rest of the story. I mainly used it to add a bit of story. Constructive criticism is always welcomed, but I would prefer if you kept away from flames. I will upload a new chapter at least once a week. I hope that you all enjoy "Through the Years"

Key-

Normal: Wright

_Thought: Wright_

_Phone: Wright_

Directly from the game normal: Wright

**Directly from the game thought: Wright**

_**Most-likely-never-to-be-used Directly form the game phone: Wright**_

Disclaimer: All rights to this product belong to Capcom, I own nothing.

* * *

Another day for Iris Hawthorne, just another work day. Not to say that she didn't enjoy herself, she just wanted to have contact with more people, other than Sister Bikini and the visitors. She supposed that was the reason she decided to call her sister. It's not like they were friends, but they were family. That was enough for her. The phone rang for a while before Dahlia finally picked up.

_"Hello?"_

"Hi, Dahlia. It's Iris."

_"Oh, Iris. What do you want?"_

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. Are you still being tracked? I do hope you stop with all of this Dahlia. You really should come to the Temple with me and be cleansed."

_"What nonsense are you spewing? Iris, you're my sister, so I talk to you about my life. But don't be an idiot."_

Iris looked down and apologized.

"What is happening then?"

_"I told you about that lawyer right? The one who knows too much. Well I poisoned his coffee. It wasn't easy either, since I obviously I had to carry the poison around somehow. So I took a bottle and attached it to a necklace. Due to the police though, I had to get rid of my poison necklace to some moron. You should have seen it! I went right up and said 'Hello, my name's Dahlia, who are you?' I knew that I had him from the beginning! We talked for a while and I got rid of my evidence saying that it was a symbol of love. The idiot believed it! Now the only problem is getting the necklace back. I thought it would come to this though, so I plan to silence him on our first 'Date'."_

Iris paled at this. "B-but Dahlia, Y-you can't!"

_"Don't tell me that this sounds like a surprise to you. By the way, you better keep quiet or else."_

"Of course Dahlia, but…"

_"Great! I am so glad I got that of my chest. I think he and I are going out next week."_

"Wait Dahlia…"

_"I hope you visit soon. You are the only one that I can talk to about these sorts of things. I guess that's it though, I'm going to hang up now 'kay."_

"DAHLIA!"Iris screamed.

_"Ouch! WHAT!"_

"Dahlia, why don't you just try to date him and get the necklace back that way, instead of putting another crime on your head?"

_"HA! You have to be kidding me! I will never date that spikey haired idiot!"_

Iris thought for a moment. She couldn't let the poor boy die. He had nothing to do with her twin's actions. _"Wait a second, twin…"_

"Dahlia"

_"What now?"_

"What if I try?"

_"You mean try to date that buffoon? No way. He's better off dead anyway."_

"Don't say that. Just let me try! I could pretend to be you. I could dye my hair and everything! Just let me try, please Dahlia."

_"No. Just stay out of it Iris!"_

"Please! I beg of you!"

_"NO!"_

"But if you kill him, you just give the police another reason to find you. Please."

_"…"_

"Dahlia?"

_"…"_

"Say something?"

_"…fine"_

"Oh, Tha…"

_"But you better not take too long with it. And you have to dye your hair on your own. Don't expect any help from me."_

"Absolutely! Thank you Dahlia, thank you so much!"

_"Just shut up and hurry to get down here. The date is Tuesday."_

"All right. Thank you Dahlia. I will begin packing immediately! Goodbye my dear sister!"

Dahlia hung up while Iris smiled. "_I may save her yet…"_

* * *

Iris was packed and ready to go. She even dyed her hair since she knew her sister would be upset if she hadn't been completely prepared. She had also been excused for as long as she needed by Sister Bikini. Iris was now ready to set off. She said goodbye to her beloved home and nearly cried. She knew though that she could be saving someone and then she would soon return.

"I wonder how far the train is. I know that I have directions in here somewhere…" She fumbled through her bag "Here we go! Let's see… What! B-but that will take me an hour on foot!" She sighed _"For Dahlia…"_

And her trip began. The train ride took her about four hours in-and-of itself. Luckily where she would meet Dahlia wasn't in the middle of nowhere like the Temple was.

_"She wanted to meet me in the forest? But where…"_

She looked around. She found a few trees in the distance and headed that way. When she got deeper into the wooded area she saw a glimpse of white and pink.

"Dahlia!"

Her twin jumped then ran to her and covered her mouth. "YOU IDIOT!" Dahlia said in a loud whisper "Don't yell!"

"Sorry"

"I can't believe that you wanted to do this…" Dahlia sighed.

"I know that you said you didn't want to help me but, could you at least tell me how to get to the university?" Iris asked.

"Fine… by the way, you brought your clothes and stuff right?"

"Of course I did."

"Great, hand them over."

"WHAT!" Iris had a look of shock.

"I told you not to yell!" Dahlia said angrily "besides, if you are going to be me you need my clothes. If that happens I will have nothing to wear. So I will use your clothes. Now fork them over!"

Iris looked down and nodded. This really was happening. She would be Dahlia Hawthorne. The thought made her shudder. She handed her clothes to her sister and sighed.

"Great" Dahlia said "now get undressed, we need to switch what we are wearing right now as well."

Iris sighed again.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed Chapter one, if you have any suggestions about anything please be sure to tell me. I am always open to editing. Reviews are appreciated. Thank you for reading the first chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

Hello, it's time for the next chapter; we finally get to meet Phoenix!

Disclaimer: I do not own Phoenix Wright, if I did Phoenix and Iris would be more canon than they already are.

To 'Dahlia': Worry not, I am not putting Dahlia in Hazakura. I just made them switch cloths because it would be cheaper than buying new ones. Although I can understand your choice for her place to stay, I can't put her there either. It would be too risky. After all, Dahlia can't move around freely because of the police. Plus I can't risk someone running into her. I put her in a nice secluded area. She does, however, have trick up her sleeve. You are going to have to keep reading though to find out what that trick is. :D

To 'Stormchaser17': Thank you very much. I went back and fixed that problem.

* * *

_"How can she stand to wear these clothes, they're so uncomfortable." _Iris thought as she walked to the university.

Her sister went to extremes.

As Dahlia had put it _"You also need my cell phone, so the moron can reach you."_

_"But how can you reach me then" Iris asked._

_"Easy" Dahlia replied "I take your phone."_

_"WHAT?!"_

_"If you yell one more time I swear…"_

_"S-sorry, but what if Sister Bikini calls…"_

_"If you can be me, then I can fake your voice. Now just do as I say!"_

Iris looked down at "her" phone and shifted through the numbers. _"Phoenix Wright. That's what she said the idio…I mean, the boy's name was. I guess I am getting way to into the part. I wonder if I should call him to try to know a bit more about who he is…"_

At that moment the phone began to ring.

"H-hello!" Iris almost yelled.

_"Hi Dahlia! It's Phoenix."_

Speak of the devil… "Oh, hello Phoenix! How are you today?"

"_Aw, how nice of you to think of me! I'm doing great. But what is important is you. How are you doing?"_

_"He sounds so sweet." _Iris smiled. "I'm wonderful. I'm on my way to the university right now actually."

"_Really? Me too! I just got back from having lunch with my friend Larry. I told you about him right?"_

_"Oh-no, how do I respond to that? Keep your cool, how would Dahlia, no never mind, she wouldn't care… uh…"_ "I'm sorry, I don't recall." She replied hesitantly.

_"That's okay; you probably shouldn't get caught up with a guy like that anyway! But what am I to say, I am his friend!"_

Iris giggled. He was sweet, odd, but sweet. "Would you like to meet me at the entrance of the university?"

_"Yeah, I'll see you then! Bye!"_

"Bye" She hung up and smiled. She looked up and saw in front of her a sign that read 'Ivy University'.

* * *

_"Dahlia is the best! She's so adorable." _Phoenix thought while he walked up to the university. When he made it, he saw a petite red haired girl just standing there. "Dahlia!" She didn't turn immediately like most would when called. So he called again "DAHLIA!" she still stood still. He then tapped her "Dahlia?" She jumped, turned, and then blushed.

"S-sorry! I was lost in thought- how are you, Phoenix?"

"Perfect now that you're here!"

She blushed. Phoenix looked at her beet red face but couldn't help but think that she looked different somehow. _"She was always pretty, but now she looks so…so… gorgeous. I wonder why? Her eyes seem different too somehow… hah, Phoenix you idiot. You have only met her once! I guess you are just more in love with her than you were when you fell in love the first time. Just enjoy it!" _"So how are you?" he asked.

"I'm great…" They just stood in an awkward silence for a while. "Um, Phoenix?"

"Y-yes?!" came Phoenix's abrupt reply.

"Um… sorry but, can I please have the necklace back…"

Phoenix just stared. After about a minute of just staring, he smiled "Aw, Dahlia, I didn't know that you were so shy!" He laughed "It's kind of cute actually! You don't have to worry about it though. Don't be embarrassed about it, I love this necklace!"

Iris looked down. There was a brief look of disappointment, but when she looked up again and saw the man standing in front of her, she became a little bit excited. _"It might be fun to date him for a while…"_

They began walking together. "So, Phoenix, where are you headed?"

"Actually, I'm free for the rest of the day, so I'm not really going anywhere…"

"Oh, so then why did you come back so soon?"

_"To see you…" _He thought. Right when she told him she was on her way to the university he ditched Larry in the middle of their meal just to see her. The excuse was easy to think up, all he had to say was _"the teacher found out, I need to go!"_ although he didn't do anything. At least Larry didn't need the part of what he did to accept this excuse. Phoenix didn't know whether or not to be upset with the fact that his friend had no problem believing that he had gotten into major trouble. "I just wanted to study a bit more." Was the response he told 'Dahlia' though.

"Good idea, you want to become a lawyer right?" _"At least Dahlia told me that much…" _Iris thought.

Phoenix was quiet for a second before he replied, "Yep! I have wanted to for a while now."

"Why did you choose that profession?"

"Oh, well, uh… Oh look, I guess we're here. Bye Dahlia, it was great seeing you again."

"Good bye, Phoenix..." Iris said a bit confused about how hastily he tried to leave. Still though, it was probably for the best, she needed some time to get used to her surroundings.

Once Phoenix was out of sight Iris let out a sigh of relief. Her first encounter was over, but now it was time to get serious. She was going to date this man! She, a nun, was dating someone! She had no experience whatsoever. How was she supposed to pose as a girlfriend? How was she supposed to be a good girlfriend? You know, one that wasn't going to get dumped?! No, she was thinking through this too hard. What would her sister do? She could pull men in like fish. The only problem with that though is that they are hard to hold onto. Especially for someone who had no experience. She slowly fell to the floor wondering how to get out of this predicament. He seemed nice enough… maybe she could just be plain Iris? No, he wanted Dahlia, but she was not Dahlia. How could she be like her murderous sister? Although she loved her twin, she could never approve of her actions. She could only be herself. At least he only met Dahlia once. He doesn't know anything about her. Maybe, just maybe, he could fall for Iris. She prayed that this could be.

* * *

End of Chapter two

Yay! You read it! I couldn't be happier! Thank you so much, the next chapter is written, but I am still open for suggestions! Please review and offer ideas, thank you again for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three

Another chapter! More characters are coming your way too, I think that you will recognize one of them. The other two I added for the sole purpose of giving Phoenix some more friends. Don't forget though, Phoenix is the most mature of his friends. Enjoy!

To 'Sentinel07': Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the chapters still to come!

To 'Stormchaser17': Thank you again for your kind review. I really do appreciate it. I would like to stay as in-cannon as possible with this story, so if you or anyone find any faults, I would be thrilled if you told me! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Phoenix Wright.

* * *

After a 'thrilling' class about literature Iris was ready for the day to be over. Just because they were twins did not mean that they had the same interests! Sure she liked to read, but as a hobby. Studying it was an absolute waste of her time in her opinion. She walked off to the café to grab some lunch. As luck would have it, Phoenix was there as well. She hoped that he wouldn't see her… "Dahlia!" too late.

"Oh, hello Phoenix. Surprise running into you here…" Iris looked down a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Yeah, I know right. You know, I was with some of my friends, would you like to meet them?"

"Well…"

"Great! Come on then!"

He quickly took her hand and led her to the table that he and his friends were at. Iris smiled shyly while the boys just sat there gawking at her.

"H-hello… I'm Ir- er, Dahlia! It's a pleasure to meet you…" She said softly

"NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK! How could you do this too MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?!" a boy with spiky blond hair shouted. Iris jumped at this.

"Uh, yeah, Dahlia, this is Larry…" Phoenix chuckled a bit.

"Oh yes, I remember you talking about him. I think you said that I should stay away from him or something…"

"NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIICK!"

"Yeah, he does like to exaggerate." Phoenix said. "I guess that I should introduce you to everyone. You already know Larry, so this is Garret and Steven."

"HI" the one referred to as Steven replied.

"… eh…" the one who was called Garret replied.

"You could at least pretend to be polite!" Steven said.

"I see no need… It's not like the relationship will last long."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Phoenix asked.

"What I mean is that she is way out of your league. Just look at her! Some guy will just come up one day, ask her out, and since he will look better than you, she'll say yes. Then we are going to have to deal with a very depressed Phoenix. It will probably take months to cheer you up and when we finally do get you happy again, you are going to pass her on campus with her new boyfriend that she met after the one she broke up with you for. You are then going to be even more depressed and nothing will make you happy again. After a while of emo Phoenix, we will get sick and dump you too. The greatest friendship of all time will be ruined and then we will all be depressed. We will see no more point in life and all become garbage men or start asking 'do you want fries with that?' This course of events will all be due to the fact that you thought that you fell in love with a girl who was obviously out of your league. So why should I be polite to the cause of our destruction?" Garret replied.

Everyone just stared at him. Except for Larry, he started bawling.

Iris too was staring, but then she smiled "If you don't mind Phoenix, I would love to sit with you and your friends."

Phoenix, although confused, obliged and got an extra chair. Iris took the seat, smiled and kissed him on the cheek. She then set herself between Garret and Phoenix. "Thank you very much! Now, I would love to get to know each one of you! After all, Phoenix's friends are my friends as well."

"Aw, you are so sweet! You know, I'm a pretty popular guy myself. If you ever want to… ouch! NIIIIIIIIICK! What was that for?" Larry cried.

"What do you think Butz?!"

"Well, Dahlia, what possessed you to date someone in this group?" Steven asked

"I'm telling you, it's not gonna last long… ow!" Phoenix stepped on Garret's foot at his statement.

Iris was just sitting there, watching the friends argue about various things. She felt right at home with them. She smiled at the thought. For the time being, this would be her family. She couldn't help but want to stay for a long time to come, but Dahlia… No, not even her twin shall ruin her mood. This may be a pose, but she was still Iris, and she would act accordingly.

* * *

"Thank you for introducing me to your friends, Phoenix." Iris said as they walked back.

"Heh, you want to thank me for that troublesome group? They may be weirdoes, but they are my weirdoes. I'm glad that you seemed to enjoy yourself."

"Oh, yes! They were all so kind. I do need to ask though, what was the problem with Garret?"

"Oh, him? He's got it bad for one of his old friends, I think her name is Olivia… well, anyway, apparently she's kinda popular and won't date him due to that fact. You can just ignore him for now. He is actually a pretty nice guy. He just wants to share his misery so that he won't feel so alone. We're all waiting for him to get over it."

"I see." She looked at his eyes. They were so sincere, unlike her. She was lying to him. He deserved better, he shouldn't have this burden on him. She barely knew him, but his kind heart reached her anyway. She had to back off-she had to give him freedom. "Phoenix…"

"Yes?"

"Can I please have it back now?" She wanted to cry right then and there. The boy loved the item, but she needed it to save him. How did it come to this? "Dahlia"

"Please Dahlia, don't be so shy. I show this necklace to everyone! I wear it always to use as a replacement for my heart, because you see, you stole my real one."

Iris turned a bright shade of red. Such a cheesy line, but it made her smile. "I'm afraid that you will need to wait for a while my dear sister." She gave Phoenix one last peck on the cheek and went back to her room. She had left a diary there to keep records of her little adventure. She used it to talk to, with no hiding who she was. She already had so much she wanted to write about.

* * *

Yes, Garrett is a bit of a curmudgeon. You will find out Steven's immaturity thing the next chapter. Be forewarned, both this and the next chapter are there to give Steven and Garret personalities. Don't worry though, they are not really recurring characters, and these two chapters are the main ones that will hold them. So if you don't like OC's, these two fellows are there just because our dear Feenie needed friends.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four

All right, the next chapter is here! I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Phoenix Wright or anything related to it.

* * *

"When writing about…" Iris yawned while listening to the teacher drone on and on about the literary arts. She was supposed to meet Phoenix again today after class. She was actually quite excited about it as well. When she saw him, it made her so happy. Iit was like being at home. Once class was over, she immediately went to lunch to meet with him and his friends. She found them, but under very strange circumstances.

"Wait a second here! I won Cloyster fair and square! Now fork him over!"

"No way! I can't lose to a stupid Seadra! I demand a rematch!

"Look at this adorable Clefairy! I wonder if Madison would like it…"

"Neither one of you will keep the Cloyster when I'm done with you! I have a Raichu! Eat my electrical shockwaves!"

Iris looked up and down the table of Pokémon players and was tempted to just turn around, if only the Pichu wasn't just so darn cute. Phoenix looked up and saw her standing there.

"Dahlia! You're early!" Phoenix quickly hid his cards.

"Oh, I'm sorry… please continue with your game…" Iris said sadly.

"NO! Wait, don't go! You came at the perfect time! Nothing's going on here!" Phoenix said hastily.

"Wait a second here! We were just about to get into a full out war! Don't wimp out. I'm sure Dahlia would LOVE to see her boyfriend get beat." Steven said.

"It's all right, I'll stay. I am kind of curious about what you are doing anyway. What kind of game is this?" Iris asked.

"It is no game," Steven began. "It is a serious competition of manhood! There is no better feeling than the complete defeat of your opponent. It doesn't matter how, it doesn't matter where. A challenge is a challenge, and a full out battle with cards is the biggest challenge of all! In all the…"

Garret put a hand over Steven's mouth. "You don't want him to continue. When he begins his rants about Pokémon and what not, they can last for hours. We play the game mainly to satisfy him. Here, take some cards; you can be on Phoenix's team."

Iris took the cards, which looked like complete mumbo jumbo to her. Phoenix looked at her with an odd expression, but she waved it off and said "Teach me."

* * *

When it was time to leave, Phoenix decided to see Iris off again. This time though he stared at her with his mouth hanging open.

"What is it Phoenix?" Iris asked.

"Y-you beat him! You beat Steven!"

"I only beat him once. We played about five times."

"But you beat him! I've never beaten him! No one's ever beaten him! He's the master of kids' games! HOW DID YOU BEAT HIM?!"

Iris looked a bit scared after that, so Phoenix calmed down a bit.

"I'm sorry; I know that it's not a big deal, but still…"

Iris smiled "I guess I'm just better than you. It kinda hurts to be worse than the newbie doesn't it?"

Phoenix glared at her. "You know, considering we haven't been dating long, you do like to tease a lot" He smiled then. "At least it's nice to know you trust me."

Iris just looked at him. She supposed she did trust him. He seemed faithful enough to not leave even though she could be a bit rude on occasion. She only wished that his trust for her was justified. It was times like these that she remembered what she was supposed to be doing. It seemed that her whole life was for Dahlia. She had no say, she was a puppet. They walked down to a river and sat down.

"Phoenix," she began, "I was wondering, what other things do you enjoy? I know that I know a bit about you now that we have been dating for a few weeks, but I would love to know even more."

"Sure, ask away. But be forewarned, if I tell you about me, you need to be prepared to tell me about yourself."

"Okay, let's see… Why do you take art?"

"I thought I told you. Well, I take it because I want to be a lawyer and I needed to take something other than law on the side. I have always had good grades in art, so I thought I should take something that I knew I could pass. My turn, why do you take literature?"

"Well…" _"Because that's what Dahlia takes_..." "I have always loved reading and writing I guess. I like to be able to paint pictures with words. Now, why do you want to be a Lawyer?"

Phoenix went silent at that. Iris looked at him hesitantly. He seemed so focused, so serious, so passionate.

"Well Dahlia, it's because there is someone that I need to help."


	5. Chapter 5

Short diary time! I think that Iris needs to write more…

Disclaimer: I do not own Phoenix Wright nor any of the characters from his video games.

* * *

"_Someone he needs to help. From his face, it must be someone other than a friend on trial, but then how? How could he help someone by being a Lawyer?"_ Iris walked up to "her" dorm to find the suffocating pinkness. Her diary was safely hidden under the mattress. She opened it up to see a few of the little adventures she'd had with Phoenix Wright right in front of her.

_Day 1. Phoenix Wright._

_What do I say about this energetic 21 year old? I must admit, when Dahlia told me about him, I thought that she was exaggerating. It appears that I was wrong. I don't know whether to smile at his antics or not. Not only that, but how can he be so welcoming and lovey dovey when "we" only met once? I guess that Dahlia's beauty is to blame there. Still, I look forward to figuring him out. From what I saw today, it seems like he is a puzzle just waiting to be solved._

_Confused,_

_Iris_

_Day 6. Almost a week._

_I must say that my previous conclusion was correct. He most definitely is a puzzle—a very entertaining one though. His friends are very interesting as well. For some reason, I feel a little uncomfortable around that Larry fellow. I think that he is trying to hit on me. I hope that is just a silly thought. . . I can't say whether or not I like the Garret fellow very much either. He seems a bit depressed. I barely know anything about Steven. They all do seem like nice people, so I guess that I should just try to get to know them better. Phoenix says they are all good friends as well. I suppose I should believe him. I highly doubt he would lie to me. I should try to give them all a chance. Phoneix himself has been growing on me. He is quite kind it seems. I don't know him very well yet, but I do hope to get to know him better very soon. I can't wait to find out what kinds of adventures we are going to have!_

_Wishing,_

_Iris_

It had been about a month since she last wrote. She could have sworn that she had more than two entries. She guessed that it was solely because it took her so long to think of what to write. She really shouldn't be in the Literature class… Iris picked up a pen though and began writing once again. This time she knew what to write.

_Day 42. A kind heart._

_It has been far too long since I last wrote in here. I suppose I must be enjoying myself. I am happy to say that I am back though and here to give my report. _

_Iris's report_

_To say I was surprised to find the boys playing Pokémon would be an understatement. I thought for sure that they had outgrown it. Then again, it really was cute. I have to say that I loved seeing their childlike side. It was so sweet, just a couple of friends enjoying themselves with an innocent game. Garret offered to let me join, and I happily agreed. I was on a team with Phoenix at the beginning, but once I learned how to play I went on my own. I managed to win once,which surprised everyone, especially Steven. He seemed a bit irritated and started to perform better. Needless to say, it was only a one time win. Afterwards I left with Phoenix… Phoenix is a rather serious name. All his friends have a nickname for him, so maybe I should have one for him too. Isn't that what girlfriends do after all? How about Feenie? Yes, that has a nice ring to it. All right, so afterwards I left with Feenie. He said that he was going to drop me off at my dorm, but we got so caught up in conversation that we walked right past it. We wound up at a river and decided to sit down and chat. We talked about our school subjects mainly. He is in art and law. It was interesting to hear his reasons for being in both. One was because of grades, but the other made me think… Feenie really must have a good heart to go into law just to help one person. What I want to know is-who is this person? After that comment from him I decided to take my leave. I didn't want to disturb his thoughts, so I left without asking for the necklace. It's not like asking for it has done me much good anyway. I pray that Dahlia doesn't get too impatient with me. Now that I know him better, I feel much worse about letting him die. That is saying something, considering my feelings about that to begin with. He truly has a kind heart._

_Learning,_

_Iris_

Iris closed her diary after this and looked out her window. The campus was so beautiful; she couldn't help but feel blessed to have this opportunity. Even though she was just pretending, it was still an experience that she would always hold close.

* * *

Super short but I needed to explain a bit more.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Phoenix Wright or any of the characters from his video games.

* * *

Phoenix was getting better and better at his classes. He was soon becoming pretty well known around the school. How he did it, he had no idea, but somehow he had a knack for getting to the truth. Iris was by his side the whole time too. She helped him study in their free time. He tried to help her a bit too, but that didn't work out nearly as well.-

Iris would still go by to play games with Phoenix and his friends. She found out that the games they played were actually not even very popular with the younger generation anymore, so she wondered why they still played them. Steven claimed they did because he was a history major, and they could be used for his studies. Try as he might, no one fell for it. She actually did have a lot of fun playing the games though. She never got to just play around at the temple. Plus, it was fun being with the boys, no matter how silly they were. It was quite pleasant, believe it or not. Every now and then Larry would tell another story about a girlfriend. Iris used to be fairly sympathetic, but it became so often that it just got harder and harder for her to feel sorry for him. No, actually she did feel sorry for him, just for a different reason than before. It was strange, but every time he had a break up, he began to act very odd around her. All of a sudden Phoenix would become very protective. She wondered why exactly…

Surprisingly enough, Garrett was a nice guy. He just acted like a downer around everyone he wasn't close to. Maybe that was why no one really liked him… Phoenix was at the top of his class though, and Iris could not be happier for him. She was a bit too embarrassed to use the nickname she thought up for him, but she couldn't understand why. So she just kept it to herself, even if she did think it was cute. She was barely surviving her Literature class, but she still toughed through it. She had come to a conclusion, similes and metaphors were her enemies. Phoenix offered to help, but she refused. She just wanted to help him out. After all, he actually wants to be a Lawyer. She has no desire to be an author.

Dahlia was still checking in on occasion. Whenever she called, she would always manage to fly off the handle at some point. Iris just sat through the yelling and cussing. There wasn't much else she could do. Part of her wanted to be able to talk to her sister about all the wonderful things happening to her, but the other part knew that it would be foolish. Having to keep your identity a secret was not an easy task. She began to understand that more and more each day. With Phoenix being such a caring boyfriend to her, not only was it hard, but it made her feel extremely guilty.

Phoenix would take her wherever he could. When she said she didn't really go many places, she just stayed at the school; he took it upon himself to show her everything. When being his girlfriend, taking days off was not an option, but she wouldn't have it any other way. After being at the Temple all her life, all the exploring was a wonderful experience for her. They went to parks, rivers, random buildings that Phoenix thought were cool. It was amazing. Iris had always wondered what it would be like for the people who lived out here in this world. He gave her a better idea of everything. Every day that passed it seemed like she was becoming less and less of her sister's puppet and more of her own person. It was like he was cutting away the strings one by one, slowly giving her freedom. At the end of the day though, there was still enough of a connection to her puppeteer so she could not escape. Dahlia made sure to remind her of that. Iris didn't care though; this was the time of her life. Phoenix was teaching her in ways she never thought she would be able to learn. He gave her opportunities she never thought she would have. She could be herself around him. He was a blessing to her… He was her first friend.


	7. Chapter 7

A bit of a time skip but I thought it was time to really start the relationship. It's hard to write about a boyfriend and girlfriend who barely know each other.

Disclaimer: I do not own Phoenix Wright or any of the characters that appear in the Phoenix Wright games.

* * *

Iris was wrapped up in a nice warm PINK coat. After a few months of seeing her Feenie (she now called him this pet name in her mind only) she had begun to really like him. As the months passed, the weather grew colder, and she began to like Phoenix more and more. It was now the third month and she began to think of him as more than just a friend. She still saw Larry a lot, (as he hung around the college even though he didn't actually go there), but Steven and Garrett came by less often. On occasion she would see them hanging around, but both of them had other things to do now. Garrett had finally gotten his girl, and Steven was busy with his part-time job at a comic book store. They were all still friends of course, and they tried to hang out whenever they could, but life was life. Things happened.

Somehow Phoenix and Iris always managed to spend time together. He would take her everywhere. She mainly liked to go down to streams though. Every day she would ask her question about the necklace, so now it seemed more like a joke more than anything else. This was a life that she wanted to hold on to, but she knew that she couldn't. She could however enjoy it while it lasted.

"Dahlia! Hey Dahlia?! It's Phoenix! I came to pick you up as promised!" Phoenix was pounding on her door.

"Yes, thank you, I'll be right there!" She rushed trying to finish getting everything. She grabbed some measuring tape on her way out. "All right, I'm here."

Phoenix smiled at her "ready to do some Christmas shopping?"

Iris smiled too, "Absolutely."

Then they were off. When they made their way downtown, Phoenix stopped at a fountain in the center of the shopping district. "Okay," he said, "Let's meet up here around 2:00 okay?"

"Yeah, that sounds good, but first I have a surprise for you…"

"Really?! All right, where is it?"

"You have to close your eyes first."

Phoenix closed his eyes, and Iris quickly took his measurements. When she was done she slowly went up to him and gave him a peck on the lips. Phoenix turned beat red, as did Iris.

"Well, that was definitely, uh…"

Iris looked down, "I-I'm sorry… I guess you weren't ready for that…"

"NO! No, no, no, no, no! It was great! Just unexpected. Thank you."

Iris smiled "um…I'll see you in a few hours then."

"Yeah, see you."

Phoenix walked off and Iris made her way to the needlework store. When she got there she found the knitting aisle and looked for the perfect fabric. She didn't really know much about making things for boyfriends, so she went with the classic colors of love. AKA red and pink, not the most masculine but it would do. She also got a small amount of yellow for his initial. After that she left to get something for Garrett. She decided that a simple mystery book would suit him well. Next was Steve-his was easy. She just got him an action figure. Why he liked them so much was beyond her, but at least it was simple. She purposely put off getting Larry's present because she couldn't figure something out. She decided to try to be helpful though and got him a book with dating advice. (She really did get it with the best of intentions.) By the time she was finished, it was 1:30, almost time to meet Feenie. She decided to make one last stop and got her sister a necklace with a pink gem in the center. Even after everything Dahlia has done, she still loved her sister. They were family, no matter what happened. They would always be twins, no matter how different they truly were. Iris would forever feel pity for her sister, who was lost in the darkness. Maybe a little bit of Christmas cheer could open her heart a little. Until then though, she would remain with Feenie, the first friend she ever had.

Phoenix was already waiting at the fountain for her holding a few bags of his own. When he saw her, he immediately smiled and walked to her. "So, what did you get?" He asked with a smirk.

"Sorry 'Nick' but I have to keep it a surprise." Iris smiled.

"Well, I guess we're done then. Let us be off!"

* * *

When they made it back to the campus, Phoenix decided to drop Iris off at her dorm.

"Bye, Dahlia…" he said blushing.

"Goodbye, Phoenix. See you later, okay?" Iris began to walk inside when she heard Phoenix call out.

"D-Dahlia, wait."

Iris turned around and Phoenix kissed her. It was a bit awkward, yet she enjoyed it. When he broke off, he blushed and left. Iris was just speechless. The kiss she gave earlier was nothing like this one, and it was mainly used as a distraction. She walked into her dorm and thought about it. It was a wonderful experience, and somehow she knew that it was only special because it was with him. She knew she shouldn't have enjoyed it, but it still made her smile. She looked in the mirror only to see her sister staring at her. She felt tears flowing down her face and she collapsed to the ground. _"No,"_ she thought, _"this can't be happening. I can't fall for him! I don't deserve him. I am just deceiving him! It can't happen! I can't fall in love with Phoenix Wright!"_ Then she couldn't hold it in, and she broke down crying.


	8. Chapter 8

A new chapter! Iris is now trying to deny her feelings, but she knows that they are there at least. Sort of. By the way, prompts are wonderful. If you have an idea, PM me, I might just put it in the story. I could always use other people's advice and ideas. ;)

To 'Stormchaser17': I just looked back and noticed I didn't respond, sorry. Delays are fine, it happens to everyone (especially me… ) I'm just happy I got a review at all. I have this thing where I like to respond to all of my reviewers. You take the time to not only read my story, but to tell me your opinion on it. I love opinions, they make me a better writer, or at least I hope so… anyway about my OC's, I put them in because of guilt. Yes, guilt. I would feel horrible if Phoenix didn't have any friends!

Disclaimer: Phoenix Wright is not mine!

* * *

After that night things were a bit awkward between the two of them. Iris couldn't keep her face from turning red and phoenix was acting like he was on cloud nine. Iris had been working on the sweater for him though. She decided that even though she shouldn't have these feelings, she truly needed to finish her present for him. She also began writing in her diary regularly. The more time passed, the stronger she felt about him, and the less she could hold it in. On occasion she would have the urge to leap at him and say "Iris! My name is Iris! Feenie please see me for who I am!" She still only called him Feenie in her mind though. It was far too embarrassing to just give him a new nickname like that. Due to time, they went out on dates less frequently, but that just made them all the more special to them both. When they did go out though, It was always most pleasant. They would talk about anything and everything. Phoenix's kind heart glowed when he started to open up more, and Iris told him as much as she could without giving anything away. The got along wonderfully. Whenever one was upset, the other knew. When one was struggling, the other knew. When one was hiding something the other knew…

"Dahlia, really now, I know you are hiding something! What can be so serious that you can't tell me?" Phoenix asked

"Nothing is wrong Phoenix! Please, just let it go!"

"Dahlia, I want to help you. Please tell me what's wrong. Why are you keeping secrets? Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do. Phoenix Wright, I trust you with my life!" Iris said "_"But because I do care, I can't risk your life."_

"Then why can't you tell me?"

"Nothing is wrong Phoenix! Please just let me be!"

"I see it on your face, don't try to hide it. We have been dating for a while now and all I want is to help you!"

"Feenie please!" Iris paled _"D-did I just say that out loud?"_ She looked at Phoenix's shocked face _"Yep, I just said that out loud."_ "I need to go."

Iris left quickly while Phoenix just stood there confused._ "Why is she so embarrassed? It's just a nickname; there is no need for her to be shy…" _Phoenix thought. He actually rather liked the name, he thought it was the next step to a more serious relationship. The thought made him smile and he ran after Iris.

* * *

_"I'm done for! I just know I'm going to get more attached to him now! I can't give him a nickname! Of all things I just had to do that stupid slip up… This is just going to make things even harder! If Dahlia found out…" _Iris shuddered. She just verbally gave a name to the boy, which always makes it that much harder to leave and/or betray someone. She mentally kicked herself. This could either make him uncomfortable, or he would like it. Both were a losing situation. If he was uncomfortable, all the work of building a relationship would stall, if he liked it, well that was already explained. All she wanted now was to hide in her sisters' room until the new day arrived.

* * *

Phoenix made it to her dorm and began knocking on the door. "Dahlia, come out okay? I don't want to leave things with you running. I'm sorry I bugged you! If you don't want to talk I won't ask anymore. I guess I just wanted to know since I have opened up to you… It's okay though, you can take your time. I'll wait!" Phoenix kept knocking at the door "Please open up! Dahlia!"

Iris slowly cracked the door open and saw Phoenix standing there with a worried look on his face. She had just written in hear diary and that helped left off some steam. She decided that it would probably be best to talk to him though so she let him in. They both sat on her sofa and Phoenix looked around wide eyed "You really do like pink a lot don't you Dahlia…" he said

"I guess I do…"

"Look, I really am sorry. I just thought that we were getting closer so I…"

"I understand Phoenix, I was wrong to run. Besides, you aren't mistaken, we are getting closer. I just…"

"I know. You can't tell me right now, and that's okay. Just know that if you need me, I will always be there. You can tell me anything, alright?"

Iris smiled at her loving boyfriend "yes, I will keep that in mind, thank you."

Phoenix stood up and smiled back at her. "Well then Dahlia, it's now time to deal with that nickname issue."

Iris paled "T-that, why do-"

Phoenix smile grew wider and he said "You know, I don't think that it's fair that you have a nickname for me, but I don't have one for you. So on my wild goose chase trying to find you, I thought of some. At first I thought of just shortening your name, but I don't think that Lia or Dahl are very good names. I finally came up with something though! How do you like Dollie?"

Iris blushed. He liked the nickname. "Okay."

Phoenix looked so happy "great, from now on we will be 'Feenie and Dollie! The couple that everyone wants to be'! Does that sound good, Dollie?"

Iris smiled and nodded

* * *

Nicknames! This will be so much more fun to type!


	9. Chapter 9

I have returned!

To 'Shenron I wish for a cabbage': Thank you so much for your kind review! :) To answer your questions, this story will continue after Apollo Justice. I am going to attempt to answer the question of how they met up again after the seven year gap. I understand how you feel about wanting to read fanfiction on this couple even before you finish the game. I did the same When I found out about Phoenix still beliving in 'Dahlia' even after five years of being told she was a murderer, and then 'Dahlia' turned out to be Iris, I was hooked.

Disclaimer: Thank you Capcom for making these great games! I do not own Phoenix Wright nor any of the characters in the Phoenix Wright games.

* * *

"That's gross Nick!" Steven said.

The friends had reunited to hang out for Christmas. It was only three days away and they all wanted to catch up."

"It's not gross; I think Dollie is a cute name!" Phoenix replied.

"UGH!" Steven moaned.

"I must say, I am surprised that the relationship has lasted this long." Garrett said. "I thought for sure she would leave you months ago…"

"Yeah, maybe then I would have had a chance with her. Right, Garrett, you were the one who told me that." Larry said.

"I lied. There is no way she would date you. Not many girls would. I just said that because you were getting my shirt wet with your crying." Garrett replied.

"HOW COULD YOU BE SO CRUEL?" Larry started crying again.

Phoenix looked at his friends and realized how much he missed them. Life truly did just throw things at you. One moment he was just the nerdy lawyer kid with his friends, the next moment he was the top student in law and boyfriend to Dahlia Hawthorne. All his friends got on with their lives, and time was a rare treasure. He guessed that it was about time they all grew up and act the age's that they were. The last few years of college seemed like preparation for everything that was happening now.

"So, Steven, how is your job going?" Garret asked.

Steven, who had recovered from the grossness of nicknames for the young couple, perked up at the mention of his job. "Oh, I love it! There are comics everywhere! On my breaks I sneak some out to read … don't tell my boss though. But seriously, there are superheroes, samurai's, and robots. We also have costumes, action figures, pranks, and a lot of other stuff. It's like…..Heaven"

"Of course… Larry, what have you been up to." Garrett tried to keep the conversation going.

Larry's eyes started to water "OH GARR!" ("Don't call me Garr!") "It was HORRIBLE! She just up and left me! No warning at all… we had such a promising relationship too… Why Sandra? WHY!"

Garrett rolled his eyes and looked at Phoenix. "So, I take it things have been going well with Dahlia, huh? Nicknames and everything."

Phoenix smiled. "Yep, but I'm not the only one with a girlfriend Garrett. How's Olivia?" He said in a teasing tone.

"S-she's fine…"

"Ugh, why does everyone have a girlfriend?! All we ever talk about anymore are girls!" Steven cried.

"Maybe getting a girlfriend would do you some good." Garrett said.

Steven looked like he wanted to hurl.

"Nah, he's already married… to his comic books." Phoenix replied.

"Indeed! We have had a wonderful relationship so far as well." Steven continued with the joke. "Anyway, where is your girlfriend 'Feenie'?"

Phoenix chucked a wad of paper at Steven's head. "Don't call me that! Dahlia should be here any moment…"

"Rub it in my face why don't ya?!" Larry said.

* * *

Iris walked through the door and saw Phoenix and his friends talking. When she got there Phoenix was already on his way to greet her.

"Dollie! I'm glad you could make it!" He said.

"I wouldn't miss it. Hello boys."

"Hey!"

"How are you?"

"…sob…"

"Did Larry have another break up?" Iris whispered to Phoenix.

"Yep."

Iris sighed, _"That's the tenth one this month, and it's only the 22nd."_ "So are you all staying here for Christmas?"

"No, I'm going over to Olivia's. She has a great family and they invited me over." Garret replied.

"I have some special stuff planned, so I can't." Steven said.

"You just want to play video games." Phoenix said.

"Shut-up!"

"I'm going home… another lonely Christmas with my mom and dad… with no Sandra…" Larry said sadly.

"Oh well, I figured this would happen." Iris said. "So I brought all your Christmas presents with me."

"Thanks, Dahlia, that's really nice of you. I bought a present for you too, but I forgot to bring it. I'll mail it to you soon." Garrett said.

Steven was grinning like a little kid "Whadyagetwadyagetwadyaget?"

"Aw, Dollie, you are so sweet! You know, I'm still single…" Larry said.

Iris giggled and Phoenix glared.

"Here you go, this is for you Garrett. This one's yours Steven, and I put a lot of thought into this for you Larry. I hope it helps." Iris said while handing out presents.

Steven ripped off the wrapper and grinned even wider "AH! A limited edition samurai action figure! I could kiss you!"

Phoenix glared again and said "Refrain."

Garrett opened his and smiled. "Thank you. I love this author."

Larry looked very happy "You sure know how to get gifts Dahlia! I bet mine is even bett… SOB!"

Larry had opened his present and the dating book was staring him in the face. All the other boys started laughing while Larry cried.

* * *

"I didn't mean to make him upset…" Iris said as she and Phoenix walked back.

"Don't worry about it, he gets upset over everything."

"But still… It was a present…"

"You don't need to fret Dollie, it's fine. Besides, it was a present to the rest of us."

Iris smiled. "By the way Feenie, are you going anywhere for Christmas?"

"No, I'm staying right here, like you."

"Oh, well then… would you… well…. WouldyouliketospendChristmas withme?"

"Wait, what?"

Iris took a deep breath in "Would you like to spend Christmas with me?"

Phoenix's eyes widened, and then he smiled. "Of course I would."

Iris's eyes lit up. She had never been so happy in her life. This would be the most wonderful Christmas.

* * *

So just for fun, what is the song that you think best describes Phoenix and Iris's relationship? I hope to hear your answers! I'll tell you my answer at the begining of the next chapter. :)


	10. Chapter 10

"Breaking Free", nice choice! The song that I think best describes them though is "You'll be in my Heart" by Phil Collins. You might also recognize it from the movie "Tarzan." I would love to hear more song choices, its never too late! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Phoenix Wright nor any other characters from the Phoenix Wright game series.

* * *

"_Dahlia, she invited me over for Christmas….YES!"_ Phoenix was on cloud nine. He was all but jumping out of his shoes in excitement. He truly did love this girl, and this just made it more possible that she loved him to. Hey, a boy can hope, right? She was perfect. So delicate and kind, but she still loved to joke around. The way he felt with her was, well, like he had found a place where he belonged. She made him feel wanted, needed even. Though they didn't date much, every day he would see her. He couldn't imagine not seeing her, it was too painful. She was unique, special, everything about her. He couldn't believe it. He had dated before, but she was just so….

"NICK!"

Darn you, Larry…

"What?"

"NICK I JUST SAW….THE CUTEST GIRL!"

"And that concerns me how?"

"You have 'Dollie' so I thought you must have a way with girls. Can you put in a good word for me?"

"Just read the book that Dahlia gave you…"

"NICK…sob…please! I'm desperate here! Sandra, Amanda, Catherine, Michelle, Cassidy, Carmen, Rose, Madison, Lauren, and Courtney left me this month! I'm lonely."

"And before it was Rachel, Lesley, Mei, Diane, Claire, Miranda, Sara, Kate, and Morgan. Even after all that I'm not helping you."

"WHY SO CRUEL?"

"Bye Larry."

"NNNNNNIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCCCCCKK KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!"

Phoenix left his friend behind. "He just had to ruin my thoughts…"

As he walked on there was nothing more he wanted to do than turn back and see Dollie again. _"Maybe I could say I forgot something….. Nah, I didn't even go into her dorm. No worries Feens! You will see her tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow will be a good day. Then Christmas Eve… Then Christmas, Christmas with Dollie… CHRISTMAS WITH DOLLIE! AGH! I just know I'm going to screw this up! This one chance, it will all be over! No, no, stay calm… You got her something nice, and she invited you… GAH!" _Phoenix looked pale. He was not going to fail! This would just make the relationship better! Garrett at least knew the girl that he was dating beforehand… This was Phoenix's chance! He could either make it, or break it!

* * *

Iris was working on the sweater that she was going to give Phoenix. While she was at it, her mind was also all over the place _"What if he doesn't like it? What if he never wants to see me again? What if I embarrass myself? WHAT IF… Iris, calm down… You could think 'what if' all day, but it won't change the fact that he is coming over on Christmas. Maybe I could cancel… NO! I want to see him! I need to see him… Don't cower away from this! For once in your life, stand your ground! BE BRAVE DARN IT! Overboard…. Iris, you can do this. You are pretending to be Dahlia, take her bravery now for yourself."_ Iris picked up her diary.

_Three days before Christmas._

_I invited Phoenix over for Christmas this year. I look forward to spending it with him. I have been making a sweater, it's taken up all of my free time, but for him it's worth it. I truly feel like he is someone special and I never want to let him go. I think… No, I know, there is no more denying it… I am in love with him. I once thought that it was some strange fantasy, how would I know I'm in love? I never leave the temple. I just know it though. I would do anything for him! Anything at all!…I would even give my life… He is the most amazing person. I love him, but I can't tell him. I love him, but it must remain a secret. I love him, but if Dahlia knew, he would surely die. I don't want to keep living like this. I want him to know who I am and how I feel. He can't though… No one can… My life here is a lie. This love needs to be a lie as well, but I can't get past it! He does not know who I am, I am undeserving of the trust that he has given me. The care he has given me. His heart of gold does not belong to me, nor should it. The thought of that shatters my stained heart though. I need him. I didn't know how to live until I met him. He showed me what life is, he showed me what love is, he taught me more in one day than I could learn in ten years somewhere else. I don't deserve the lessons he taught me. I do not deserve this life he has brought to me. I do not deserve to stay with him at all. I am a demon deceiving a saint. I am not even deserving of going back to the temple. I must though, for the sins I have been committing these past few months. To purify my soul I will do work, and more, with no complaint. I will do it, and it will be for him. Phoenix Wright._

_Living a lie,_

_Iris_

* * *

The chapters will get longer, I promise! Just wait for the college years to end.


	11. Chapter 11

I hope you are all still enjoying this.

Disclaimer: I do not own Phoenix Wright or any of the characters from it. All rights belong to Capcom.

* * *

The tree was up and the presents wrapped. Iris was now waiting patiently for Phoenix to arrive. She had stayed up all night putting the tree up and finishing the sweater for him. She was a bit tired, but it was worth it. The tree was a bit lopsided and the ornaments were scattered about randomly, but she was half asleep so it was the best she could do. Looking at it now though after her two hour nap, it was a bit embarrassing. She only hoped that Phoenix wouldn't mind.

*Knock* "Dollie? You there?"

Iris hopped up and ran to the door.

"F-feenie! How are you? Merry Christmas!"

"Hi Dollie. Merry Christmas." Phoenix smiled "Here you go, it's my present to you."

Iris took the small box and smiled. "Come in Feenie. I have cookies and everything."

"Thanks, but don't you want to open up presents…" he gazed at the box under the tree.

Iris laughed. "Of course. The cookies can wait. Let's sit down; as you can see I put your present under the tree."

"Great!" Phoenix ran and picked up the box. "Can I open it now?"

"Yes, go ahead." Iris laughed at his childlike antics.

Phoenix opened up the present and pulled out the big pink sweater. "Did you make this?"

"Y-yes… do you like it?"

"Like it? I love it! This is better than anything you could have ever bought me. Thank you so much!" Phoenix slipped it on.

"I'm glad you like it. I was worried that you wouldn't like the pink."

"Hah! Only real men wear pink! Didn't you know that?"

Iris giggled "Well, you most certainly are all man right now then…"

Phoenix smirked "nice job with the tree by the way."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, we can call it 'The leaning tower of Leafa.'"

Iris smacked his arm "that joke wouldn't be funny even if it wasn't a pine tree."

Phoenix laughed "Sorry, it was the first thing that came to mind. Now, why don't you open your present?"

Iris looked at the little box in her hand. "All right…" She opened it and found a small silver locket. She looked inside and saw two pictures. One of her beloved Feenie, and the other of… Dahlia. Iris cried at the fact that it wasn't her picture. Her relationship with this boy was so much of a lie that it was her sister's picture. Tears were flowing down her face. Phoenix was so sweet, but he had no idea. The present was one of the sweetest things ever, but it felt like a ton of bricks.

"Are you okay Dahlia? Do you not like it?" Phoenix looked a bit sad at this.

Iris looked in his eyes. Those eyes never lied, they were honest and caring. Those eyes told her who he was. "Oh Feenie, I love it; I just get overly emotional sometimes. Thank you so much!" She leaned forward to kiss him and Phoenix looked relieved.

"Good, I thought you were upset about how bad it was…"

"Oh no Feenie. This is a wonderful gift, thank you. I will always keep it close."

"Here, let me put it on you."

Iris turned and Phoenix put the necklace around her neck.

"Looks good on you." Phoenix said "And now you have a sign of love from me that you can hold close to your heart."

The bottle necklace was still hanging around Phoenix's neck. The necklace which was both so good and yet so evil. The necklace which brought them together, would also tear them apart. "Can I have it back now Feenie?" she asked purely because she had it on her mind.

"Not that again, Dollie… let's just enjoy our Christmas together without that silly ritual." He smiled. "Now why don't we have some cookies?"

They spent the rest of the day laughing, eating cookies, and just enjoying each other's company. Iris had had only 2 hours of sleep and was exhausted. She had difficulty keeping her eyes open. Phoenix on the other hand was full of energy due to the fact that it was Christmas.

"Today was great Dollie! I had so much fun. Thank you for inviting me…" Phoenix looked down and noticed that Iris was fast asleep on his shoulder. He gently picked her up and put her to bed. He looked down at the sweater he was wearing. _"She must have stayed up all night making this… considering when we went shopping. She really is too sweet for her own good."_ He looked at her sleeping figure on her bed. "I can't just leave though. I don't have a key so I won't be able to lock her door behind me and I can't leave her unprotected…" He looked at the sofa "I don't have much choice do I." He took a pillow from her bed and swiped a small blanket after he covered her up. After he put 'his' pillow and blanket down on his 'bed' for the night he went to clean up the rest of the dorm.

* * *

Iris woke up nice and early the next morning only to notice she was still wearing her clothes from yesterday_. "Oh well. I must have just been too tired. Yesterday was a great day though, I had such a wonderful time with Feenie I can't even remember him leaving!"_ She looked at the necklace around her neck and pushed it to her heart. _"Always…"_ after getting dressed and ready for the new day, she walked out of her bedroom and found… quite the surprise. "FEENIE!"

Phoenix Wright, who was fast asleep on the couch, immediately fell off due to the rude awakening.

"OUCH!"

Iris ran to his side. "Feenie! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you! Are you hurt? What are you still doing here?"

Phoenix was rubbing the back of his head. "You fell asleep on my shoulder so I took you back to your room. After that I cleaned up, but I couldn't just leave. I didn't want to wake you up so I just stayed here so your dorm wouldn't remain unlocked during the night…"

Iris just stared at him. He really didn't realize how strange that was. She started laughing.

"W-what's so funny?"

"S-sorry, it's just so s-sweet." She said between breaths.

"Then why are you laughing?"

"O-oh F-Feenie! You're so cute!" With that she hugged him.

Phoenix blushed. Cute? Really? _"Oh well. You take what you can get."_

* * *

That was so much fun to write! The joy of awkward Phoenix!


	12. Chapter 12

To 'GwenHermione31': Thank you so much, you made my week. I am just thrilled that I was able to get that kind of school girl reaction from someone. :)

To 'Perzona': Thank you for reviewing. I also noticed that no one ever writes stories about this pair. It makes me a little sad actually. I love this pairing so much. Anyway, I am glad that you don't think I am too out of character. I must say, it is quite difficult to write them in their college years, considering you never really see them. I guess that I've always thought that Phoenix acted so immaturely because of stress. As I have said before, this is my first fanfic as well as my first attempt at a fanfic, so I mainly just went around and looked at how others wrote their stuff. If you have any suggestions for me I would be extremely grateful!

To 'Gravaja Umbros': You reviewed every chapter! Thank you so much! Ch.1 Yeah, it doesn't get enough love... I used to be a PxM fan, but that quickly changed the more I played the game and their relationship seemed to be more... sibling like. I don't want to touch it, that and Phoenix believing in Iris, nothing could beat that! As for the odd thing, it could have been a while after Dahlia met Phoenix, they just set the date a few weeks later. Or I could go with the other solution, I was lazy and thought about how random it was that Mr. Monkey fell at the right time in case 1-3. Ah, I like option A. Ch.3 I am so glad, I have never been into OC's myself unless completely necessary. Ch.4 I actually agree with you. *Hangs head in shame* But for some reason I really wanted them to play Pokemon! That and I wanted Iris to see Phoenix's dedication to his friends, as you saw, it was established further in the diary. Ch.5 *Hangs head in shame again* My editor said my last one was not that great as well... Eh, I'm just glad this one was better. As for the last part.. heh heh... Ch.7 It took me a week to stop blushing after this chapter. Ch.9 I'm so glad, I have been replaying the games through this to try to get the characters right, I'm glad it isn't going to waste. Ch. 10 I already have a solution to how they meet up, and it is quite different than all of those options. I look forward to hearing your opinon on it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Phoenix Wright or the games.

* * *

"All right Phoenix, what's with the pink?" Garrett asked.

"Dollie made it for me! Isn't it nice? She put her heart into it." Phoenix said smiling.

"Yeah, we can tell from the pattern." Steven commented.

"I wish Brittney would make one for me…" Larry said softly.

"You all are just jealous!"

"Yeah, totally! 'I'm Phoenix Wright! Don't I look pppuuuuurrrrrrrddddddddddddy yyyyyyyyy?!" Steven said in a shrill voice.

"You know, I once heard that only real men wear pink."

"DAHLIA?!" All four boys said obviously surprised.

"Hello, how are you all today? You wouldn't be making fun of the sweater I spent so long making would you?" Iris faked some tears.

"NOnonononononononononononono nono! It's great! A piece of work, really!" All boys said once again.

"_Wow, talk about power. Does my sister really have this much effect on people?"_ "Thank you, I spent a long time on it." Iris sat down. "Sorry I came so late Feenie, I had something come up."

"N-no problem at all! I'm just happy you could make it." Phoenix replied.

"Thank you, Feenie…" Iris replayed the previous events in her head one more time. Dahlia… She was getting very impatient.

"_Please Dahlia! I'm trying!" Iris pleaded over the phone._

"_Well, you're obviously not trying hard enough! Otherwise you would have it back by now."_

"_Oh Dahlia, I'm sorry. Please, I need more time."_

"_Oh, and how much more time will this take? I don't have many options here Iris! Every day that passes by, the more dangerous things become for me! Have you not gotten that through your thick skull yet?"_

"_Dahlia I…"_

"_You're what Iris? You're sorry? Is that it? Sorry is not going to cut it! I am at my wits end! If they find me, it will be your fault."_

"_I truly am trying sister…."_

"_Well, trying isn't going to cut it either! You have to do, and if you don't, then I will."_

"_NO! You can't! Please Dahlia! Just give me the rest of the school year!"_

"_Do you even know what you're asking me?! That is too long, Iris!"_

"_Please, I promise!"_

"_Last time you said those words, you betrayed me. The fact that I let you do this to begin with is mercy. No more time!"_

"_Dahlia! I promise!"_

"…_.fine. But if you fail, it won't be just his life that I take." And with that she hung up._

"_Not just his life…"_ Iris held her hand up to her throat.

"Oh yeah Dollie, thanks for reminding me." Phoenix took her hand off her neck and lifted the necklace to show his friends. "I got her this. It suits her doesn't it?"

"Sure…"

"Whatever, Mr. twitter-pated…"

"Nnnnniiiiccckkk! You should have helped me buy a gift for Rebecca before she broke up with me!"

Iris found herself giggling. Phoenix Wright. The boy who could take a serious situation and turn it into one of laughter. He didn't even know that he had this power, he just did. His goofiness made him a great person to tease, and his kind heart forgave all who gave him a hard time. It was unexpected, but it was like he knew somewhere deep within. Somehow he knew when it was time to perform his magic. He took her away from all her worries. She was freed from Dahlia's grasp, she was freed from the temple life, and she was freed from herself. The last one might just be the most terrifying of them all. She had laid out this life for herself, after all. She betrayed her sister once, so out of guilt she felt as if she needed to help. What was her reasoning before, though? Pity? Or maybe it was revenge on her father? One way or another, she regretted it. She regretted having helped her sister, her other half. Dahlia could have been a wonderful girl, but the fact was, she wasn't. Her sister was a cold hearted murderer. She realized this now. Why now? Because he taught her. He said 'I want to bring justice to those who deserve it. I want to punish those who are wrong, and I want to free those who are innocent. To be a Lawyer means I need to aim for the truth, no matter what." No matter what. Her sister had framed many, and yet Iris said nothing. Feenie, her Feenie, was right. Justice needs to be served to the proper person, no matter what. Even if that means that her sister would be put in jail, no one else should be dragged into her crimes. Part of her would always love her sister, but she had to choose. Whom did she love more? Did she love her sister, her own flesh and blood, or did she love Phoenix, the man who taught her how to live? "My dearest Feenie… I will protect you from her at all costs."

The choice was made.

* * *

Please feel free to review! I read each and every one af them! It encourages me to continue this story, and believe me, it is a long one. After all, my main goal was to present how they got back together and how they fall in love again. If you like long stories, well, let's just say that the College years are a sort of prequel… I need all the encouragement and ideas I can get! I will also try to upload more frequently.


	13. Chapter 13

Judge: Is the Prosecution ready?

Edgeworth: Ready your Honor.

Judge: Is the defense ready?

Random dumb attorney: Yes, Sir Judgy!

Judge: Ah-Hem… yes, well… We are here for the trial of Rubikcube124 for breaking their promise to update in a timely manner. Mr. Edgeworth, would you like to call your first witness?

Edgeworth: Yes, Your Honor. The Prosecution would like to call the defendant, Rubikcube124 to the stand.

Me: *Walks up to the stand*

Edgeworth: Name and occupation.

Me: Rubik-cube von Twist. I am a professional procrastinator.

Jury: *Gasp*

Judge: What, what did I miss?

Edgeworth: It means putting off work to do at a later date when it needs to be done then.

Judge: ah, yes… I knew that.

Edgeworth: Does that mean you admit?

Me: HAH! I will never admit! *Looks to see Edgworth's glare* OKAY! I did it! I said I would try to update faster and I didn't! I *sob* I am so sorry *SOB*!

Judge: That was fast.

Me: Yeah, well that spiky haired bozo *Points to Phoenix* wouldn't defend me! That and I'm up against the demon prosecutor. You would have found me out eventually!

Judge: all right then… Well, I see no need to continue this. I now declare Rubikcube124 to be

G-U-I-L-T-Y!

Gumshoe: Sorry, Pal, I'm locking you up.

*one week after being in jail.*

Police guy: You're free.

Me: *Looks up from harmonica* YAY!

Police guy: I wouldn't suggest ever doing that again, you understand?

Me: *Grinning* Okay, I promise.

Police guy: Good, because next time, it will be much worse for you.

Me: Huh? *looks to the left to see Franziska von Karma grinning evilly at me while holding her whip* NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

**Sorry about that long delay... I got really busy.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Phoenix Wright, all rights belong to Capcom.

* * *

Two more months passed, and Iris and Phoenix just grew closer and closer. She learned that he was actually very mature, even though he didn't always act like he was. He learned that he should never make her mad. Thankfully he didn't learn this the hard way, and the person she got mad at was being very rude to Phoenix. The kid never bothered him again. Even Phoenix was a bit frightened of her! That side of her was very hard to unleash at least. Phoenix wore the pink sweater for about a week before he decided to give it a break. I wasn't freezing outside, so he saw no point. Besides, it just caused unnecessary teasing. He still kept it at the front of his closet though. He became the talk of the school for his knowledge of the law, and Iris couldn't have been prouder of his achievements. Iris was still struggling a bit in the literary department, but she was getting much better. She hadn't talk to Dahlia in days; it was a blissful time for her because of that. She could just enjoy being Phoenix's girlfriend. They had become quite attached. She wouldn't go many places without him, and he just loved taking her everywhere. They mainly just liked to sit down and know that the other was right by their side. Phoenix's friends came by even less than before, although they enjoyed seeing each other, the realization of the fact that they were all adults had hit them. It hit them hard too. Although Phoenix could keep a cool head most of the time, and acted like an adult, under the most stressful circumstances he would sometimes break. Such as now…

"I CAN'T DO IT! They expect me to know all this stuff, but we didn't even cover it yet!" Phoenix cried, tears almost coming out.

"Feenie! Calm down! You did study it, you just can't recall because you're hysterical!" Iris said.

"No, we didn't cover it! What are these? WHAT ARE THESE LAWS? I'm going to fail!"

"No you're not! Pull yourself together! The more you tell yourself you are going to fail, the more likely it will happen!"

"You don't get it! This is a huge test, if I don't get a good grade…"

"Phoenix Wright! Stop speaking poorly about yourself! I will be waiting for you at the end of the test, and throughout it I will be silently cheering you on. You are the best in your class; you know the stuff like the back of your hand!"

"That's the problem! Last night I found a vein on the back of my hand that I never knew was there!"

Iris hit her forehead "You will be FINE! When you see the questions you are going to realize just how ridiculous you're being right now."

Phoenix slumped to the ground. "I can't fail… I need a good grade; I need it to become a lawyer…"

Iris knelt down next to him "And you will. I can't picture anyone who would be better at being a lawyer than you. If I ever needed a defense attorney I would go to you first."

"You're just saying that because you're my girlfriend." Phoenix said, tears now in his eyes "Besides, you of all people would never need a defense attorney."

_"Oh Feenie, you have no idea how wrong you are…"_ "Thank you, but I still would pick you, and not just because your my boyfriend. It would be because of your talent. Choosing an attorney is not something that someone can take lightly, Feenie. I have seen what you can do. I have quizzed you and you have surprised me with your knowledge. Please, have the same faith in yourself that I have in you."

"A-all right, Dollie…. I'll try…"

"Great! Thank you. Now, get up and pull yourself together and be a man."

"Heh, I'll try… Besides, I can't take a test when I'm like this. I just say stupid stuff and make a fool of myself. It's kind of scary actually, especially if I want to be an attorney."

"You'll be fine. Now stop speaking poorly of my Feenie and ace that test!"

"All right. Well, shall we leave then Dollie?"

"W-what?"

"You said you would be waiting there for me, so let's go!"

"F-feenie, I can't go! I was just trying to…."

"Please? You said you would?" Phoenix looked at her with big eyes.

That was something he would only do to her. Iris looked at him. Those eyes just looking at her, they kept staring! Iris twitched.

_"Darn you Phoenix Wright and your childish antics." _She couldn't say no, and he knew it. "Fine"

"Great! Let's go then!" Phoenix perked up and smiled while he dragged Iris along by her arm.

* * *

Iris was patiently waiting outside of the building that Phoenix was in as promised. When the test was over Phoenix came out with a huge smile on his face.

"So, how did it go?" Iris asked even though she already knew the answer.

"It was great! It was much easier than I expected. I was really surprised!" Phoenix grinned.

Iris looked up and saw some other students walking out the door and they all looked a bit green.

"How was I supposed to know that stuff? Man, I hope I got a D+ at least." One said.

"Don't complain. I couldn't get more than half of it finished…"

Iris, although a bit worried for those poor students, couldn't help but find it amusing. "I don't think it was as easy as you make it out to sound Feenie." She said.

Phoenix was already lost in his happy world though and didn't hear half of what she said. "Sorry, what was that? Oh, never mind, don't tell me here. Let's go on a date to celebrate, okay!" Once again an overjoyed Phoenix dragged her by the arm to a selected destination.

Iris could faintly hear the annoyed cries of his classmates.

"He knew the answers and he gets a gorgeous girl? LIFE IS NOT FAIR!"

"My brain is fried from the law… I wonder if it's illegal to stalk them and see if I can steal her away..."

"I don't really care, I'm alive!"

Iris giggled in amusement.

* * *

Yes that was important. It explains why Phoenix was such a crybaby in the courtroom when he was on trial for Doug Swallows murder. He was stressed! I mean, he was on trial for murder and the "girl he loved" was being convicted of the murder by his own attorney! I would be stressed out too! That and it leads up to important events later.


	14. Chapter 14

WOW! How long has it been? It seems that this story has been thrown away into a "Dark Void" doesn't it? I hope that you all still "Remember me" though. But don't worry, I will finish this story even if it is my "Final Fight"! Okay, enough of that. I am sad to say, no Franziska this chapter. We had a long discussion and decided that I had a good enough reason not to post. Still though, I am really sorry it took so long.

Disclaimer: Phoenix Wright and all games listed above are owned by Capcom.

* * *

A few weeks later the test results were up. Phoenix, of course, aced it. That was not to be said about his other classmates though. Iris was thrilled for him.

"Great job Feenie! I knew you would ace it!" Iris said.

"Yep! I owe it to you."

"How?"

"You put me back in shape. I was a total wreck. The other students weren't as lucky as I was."

"You would have done just fine without me. Becoming a lawyer is important to you. You would have just said some dumb things in class, nothing more."

"Well I guess that I owe that to you then!" Phoenix laughed.

"Well, I suppose I can take credit there."

"Good. I need to leave now though okay."

"What? Why?"

"I'm going to meet Garret, Steven and Larry. We haven't seen each other in a while. I would invite you but…"

"I understand. You need some time to yourselves. That is perfectly understandable. Besides, I'm sure I'll be able to figure something out for me to do. I need to work more on my literature anyway. Be sure to tell them hello for me!" Iris smiled

"Will do! See you later. Thanks Dollie." Phoenix walked off.

"_Well, that gives me some more time to take care of Dahlia. She has been getting quite antsy recently."_

* * *

Dahlia Hawthorne sat staring out the window. A small room that had a small window and door, and small furniture. She was not very happy with this arrangement. It was a nice hiding spot though, and with the police on her tail, it was convenient. She still needed that necklace though. She could only live off her looks for so long, and Iris was obviously taking her time. What was that stupid twin of hers up to anyway? She should have just ripped off the necklace by now! Damn that kind heart of hers. If Dahlia ever got her hands on her… _"One month. Only one more month. Then both of you are mine."_ She still knew how to get poison after all. The loss of her sister would mean nothing to her. Besides Iris deserved it didn't she? She betrayed her beloved twin, possibly twice now. Iris, the good for nothing… Dahlia wasn't even sure why she had allowed this much time to pass. The only reason she allowed this dating thing to happen was so it wasn't easier for the cops to find her. This just might leave her in worse shape though. Her sister was taking forever. Her path to freedom would never come at this rate. Killing them would be much simpler. She didn't mind having to do that either. Just a flick of the poison and all was over. If she needed to murder to get out of being called a murderer, then so be it. She just needed to survive. She needed to do what was best for her. If that bitch of a twin didn't understand, then she could learn in hell. Dahlia smirked. Until then though, Dahlia Hawthorne would wait.

* * *

Iris knew her sister would be concerned, but she couldn't help it. She loved Phoenix and she couldn't just take the object he loved away from him. Her sister would need to wait. _"Please Feenie, give me the necklace. Then all will be well._" Maybe if he gave back the necklace, their relationship could turn into something real…

* * *

"Hey Nick, you don't look so good" Larry said.

"Yeah, I know. I think I'm coming down with a cold…"

"How did that happen?"

"I was so nervous about the test…*ACHOO*… that I got all hot and sweaty. So I slept with the window open."

"Geez Nick, I know I'm not the brightest person in the world…"

"_No kidding Butz"_

"…But even I'm not stupid enough to sleep with the window open in this weather."

"Thanks for the high *ACHOOO* praise." Phoenix said digging for some tissue. "I had to leave Dollie early to. I dragged her to the test room with me and I managed to keep my sneezing under control, but now *ACHOO* not so much. I don't want her to get sick…*Sniff*…too"

"Well don't save the honor for me either. That is one gift I don't want." Larry said backing away

"Look Larry, I'm going to go to the doctor okay. I'm sure he will have a good idea about keeping my cold under control."

"Yeah, have fun with that. Just get rid of that germy stuff."

"Oh, do you mean this?" Phoenix stuffed a clean piece of waded tissue in Larry's face

"AHHH, KEEP YOUR GERMS AWAY!" Larry ran off.

"_Heheh, sick people get to have all the fun."_ Phoenix smirked.

* * *

Dahlia had decided it was time to check in. It began when she was thinking about her circumstances. She decided it would be best if she talked to her sister, on a surprise phone call, to try to get answers.

"Hello Iris dear." Dahlia smirked _"You little brat, let's see how you really think…"_

"_H-hi Dahlia! What is it?"_

"I told you I would call, did I not?"_ "Of course I didn't tell you; but you wouldn't argue with me would you?"_ "I want to know how everything is going."

"_Everything's fine!"_

"_She sounds a bit too nervous for my liking."_ "Well then, where is my necklace?"

"_I promised I would have it by the end of the school year. That's only about three months away. You can stay hidden right?"_

"_Oh no Iris, not three months. I just know something is going on."_ "Don't underestimate me. Of course I can stay hidden."

"_Sorry, of course you can."_

Dahlia smirked again "Very well then, do not fail me."_ "Iris, I'm going to find out what you're hiding."_

"_Of course not sister."_

Dahlia hung up. Her sisters stutters, the sign of surprise her voice held. Dahlia was right. She needed to go to the school as soon as possible.

Somehow on the other end, Iris knew. She knew that she would need to keep her eyes open for the time that Dahlia would come. She had to succeed; after all, if she failed her sister, she would fail Phoenix as well.

* * *

Man… I wrote this chapter long time ago and, well, it looks really bad now… wow… Uh… I will just have to start posting again! Time to get moving and time to start nagging my editor! Oh yeah, keep the favorites, follows, and reviews coming. I don't want this pairing to die out, and the more the numbers rise for this, the more likely it could inspire somebody else to write a story on this pairing. Slowly but surely we could have this pairing make a comeback.


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